The weekly Union times. [volume] (Union C.H., South Carolina) 1871-1894, 1887-03-18
XVIII SERIES,


HAwAu's MOUNTAIN tFIrsD.--- Honolulu,
February 17.-There is weeping and wailius
to-day among the mild-eyed Kanskas in this
FAR off kingdom Of the Sunset Sea. All that il
mortal Of the well beloved Princess Like Like,
theyoungest sister of his Majesty King Kals-
kaua, will bo deposited on the 28th inst,
side by side with those of the other personages
who have gone before to their last resting place
In the royal mausoeum. '.N .. '''.'
The Princess was woman Of moro than or.
dinary intelligence and had improved herself
by much reading and study, Her manners
were easy and graceful. She was the wife or
A. B. Cleghorn, at one time member OF the
Kings Cabinet, and by him had one child, 1
little girl now nine years Of age. This little
miss, provided che lives, will in all probability
take an important stand in the affairs of the
kingdom, she being in the line Of succession to
the throne. '''
But notwithstanding the int telligence Of Like
Eke-the constant intercourse she had had
with the foreign population for years aud years
there was yet q strain Of natural supersti tion
in her composition Of which she could not, rid
herself, and to this, IL reports be true, we
may now attribute her untimely taking off.
For centuries back, or as far as run the Haw.
siian annals, there has been belief among
the people that the eruptions Of Mauna L oa
and Kilauea were the mesns taken by the god
dsss Pele to show her displeasure at mortal
events. IL was also held-and the recently
resurrscted order ef Kahunas and soothsayers
encouraged the belief-that the only means to
appease the goddess wrath was by the sacrifice
Of some of the royal family. Time and again
when these awful volcanoes have deluged the
surrounding country with their fiery flow and
shaken the coral islands 10 their centre, has
the human sacrifice taken place, whether with
the desired effect or not the chroniclers soy
not
The volcano Of Mauna Loo recently broke
out iato violent eruption. This eruption, the
first in twenty-five years, caused the supersti-
tous natives TO believe that Pele had put her
war paint on and was showing her anger at
the things that bo. The natives from thei
huts watched the lurid light that shoue upon
the mountain top and knew that the goddess
was reaching out her fry arms for avictim Of
the royal blood. The Kahunas, who haze
lately gained once more the favor Of the King,
declared that Pele must be appeased to arrest
the fearful doom which they said must como.
They had not far to search for one who would
make the fearful sacrifice, and while the rumb-
ling Of the volcano made awful thunder th
Princess Like Like announced to her people
that she. the sister Of the King-the nearest Of
the ,hrone-would lny down her life 10 stop
the fearful flow. She openly proclaimed that
she sloried to make martyr of herself for her
country and her people, and though in the
prime of life and with the prospect Of a crown
before her, she made her final prep arations and
lay down to await the end. 1t is said that in
this final proceeding the Kahunas played no
unimportant part, and that while acting ns her
guardians and advisers they were in fact,
practicing their dark arts upon her and hurry
lug her onward to the end
For days and days she 10y among these
people, and during all that time not particle
Of food was allowed to pass her lips. Death
was not speedily coming to one so full Of life
aud vitality as she had been, but starvation
did its wark ct last. and while the Kahunas sat
about. and their meant tations went on, the
spirit Of the Princess left her body and the
sacrifice was at on end. For twenty days her
remains are to lie in state, and on the 28th the
iron portals of the mausoleum close in upon
them forever.
That this good woman was cruelty sacrificed
to the superstition Of the Kahunas is IN open
secret at the islands, but the strangest part to
tell is this, that upon the day Of her death
MauDa Loa the Awful ceased to belch its lava
forth, and for days after was in comparative
quiet, and then the hoary old soothsayers went
about among the people with many o ned and
mystic sign, as who should say, Didn't we
foretell all this ? and to-day their power is
greater in the land than since the days when
Captain Cook laid his bones upon their sandy
beach.